What-Ifs for Goldman Sachs

Some executives and powerful alumni of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are talking about whether Chief Executive Lloyd C. Blankfein can survive the legal and public-relations storm swirling around the company, according to people familiar with the situation.

The conversations being held among some partners, managing directors and other current and former executives are informal, and there appear to be no plans for a management shake-up. The various hypothetical scenarios include whether Mr. Blankfein should resign, whether there...